Thank you to state lawmakers for blocking HJR-3

If you'd asked me last August what Hoosiers would be doing now, I'd have predicted we'd be gearing up for a $15 million campaign to defeat Indiana's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. But we're not.

With the close of this year's legislative session, we owe a debt of gratitude to the lawmakers who listened to the voices of tens of thousands of Hoosiers and decided to do the right thing with HJR-3.

It was by no means an easy road to victory. In 2011, the amendment overwhelmingly passed both legislative chambers with support from every Republican but one and about one-fourth of Democrats.

Amending the Indiana Constitution requires identical language to pass two separately elected General Assemblies before proceeding to a statewide general election to for a popular vote. In 2012, Republicans gained even more seats to obtain strong super-majorities in each chamber. The stage was set for this amendment to easily pass.

But lawmakers declined to take up the issue in 2013, promising instead to address it this year.

Along came Freedom Indiana. In July, we began building an historic grassroots campaign against the amendment, and we invited everyone to the table who wanted to join the effort. The initial group included two of Indiana's largest job creators, Eli Lilly and Cummins, which have long fought for civil rights. The coalition grew to include hundreds of businesses, thousands of volunteers and donors, scores of faith leaders, a strong group of mayors and city councils and practically every civic organization and institution of higher learning in the state, with Indiana University leading the charge.

We were broad-based. We were bipartisan. And suddenly, we were everywhere.

In the end, lawmakers listened. They removed the dangerous sentence that would have prohibited any number of protections, including civil unions and domestic partnerships, for same-sex couples. That move meant HJR-3 could not appear on the ballot in 2014, sparing Indiana a bitter fight with Hoosier families in the middle.

There is still much work to do, and the LGBT community and our allies in Indiana and across the country must remain vigilant and continue to educate fellow Hoosiers on the importance of marriage and the equal value of every person and every family.

But now, we have one message for those lawmakers who changed the course of history to keep this amendment at bay: From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Chris Paulsen

president, Indiana Equality Action

board member, Freedom Indiana

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Thank you to state lawmakers for blocking HJR-3

If you'd asked me last August what Hoosiers would be doing now, I'd have predicted we'd be gearing up for a $15 million campaign to defeat Indiana's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. But